Sycamore Grove

I got a gift certificate to Adagio Tea from my friend Amy, and decided to make good on it. Nick bought be a cute little red teapot, so that I could drink loose leaf tea. So, in order to document which tea I like and which I will drink again, I've decided to start reviewing each tea I try.

Adagio Teas: White Monkey

Rating: 4/5
Price: $7 per 2 oz. (I got it in a sampler of green tea, though)
Origin: The Fujian province of China
Form: Loose green tea (came in an adorable tin)

Review: It has a really strong smell in the tin, like grass just after it rains. It's a heavy smell. But when brewed up (180 degrees F, steeped 3 minutes), it has a light, pretty scent, almost like a jasmine tea. Faintly floral, but green, too. It tastes nice, sweeter than most green teas I've had. I drank this one without any honey in it. Not at all bitter, light and green. Not as floral as the scent, though. Yummy.

Adagio Teas: Li Zi Nutcracker

Rating: 4/5
Price: $10 per 5 oz. (I got it in a sampler of green tea, though)
Origin: The Guangdong province of China
Form: Loose green tea (came in an adorable tin)
Review: Out of the tin, it had a grassy, hay-like scent that reminded me of henna, actually. a pleasant, growing smell. Once infused (I actually boiled the water, oops! It's supposed to be 180 degrees.) it has a strong green scent, less like hay and more like watery green vegetables, like cucumber or zucchini. Still, very pleasant. It has a very earthy taste, not bitter per se, but with a slight tang to it. I wonder how much of that is because I made it with too-hot water. There is a bit of a bitter aftertaste. After a cup: It's funny how my taste buds get used to things. I was unsure of the whole tangy-bitter thing, but now I kind of like it. It's not something I'd serve at a kid's tea-party, or with something really sweet, but I could see it balancing out some cucumber sandwiches or stir fry quite nicely. Ooh, or a spinach salad.

Okay, now I've made myself hungry. I need to go find food. Ciao!

Frontier Teas: Organic Raspberry Green Tea

Rating: 2/5
Price: $45 per 1 lb. oz. (online), about $38 per lb at Wild Oats. I got about 1 oz. for $3.60.
Origin: Unknown
Form: Loose tea, flavoured with dried raspberries.

Review: This tea was not one of my favorites. It had a very raspberry-ish scent out of the tin (or baggie, as the case may be), almost like those saccharine raspberry cereals. When infused (boiling water, about 5 minutes steeping time), it still smelled like berries, but mellower, less sugary, and with the scent of the green tea, as well. The tea infused to a lovely deep pink colour. It had a very mild taste. Fruity, but not as sweet as I thought it'd be, from the scent. I could taste the green tea flavour more than the berry. When I added some honey, it brought out the berry more. It was okay hot, but I can imagine it'd be quite lovely, sweetened and chilled in the summer.

Adagio Teas: Sencha Overture

Rating: 5/5
Price: $12 per 5 oz. (I got it in a sampler of green tea, though)
Origin: The Shizuoka region of Japan
Form: Loose green tea (came in an adorable tin)

Review: Wonderful scent out of the tin, a bit like new cut hay, but not overpowering. When brewed, it smelled like edamame, or spinach, or some other green vegetable. Very fresh. And it's an adorable spring green colour, about the same as is in my icon. And, oddly enough, it tastes a little like edamame, too. It's a very light taste, very suited to summer, which was when this tea was harvested. Very nice; I'd drink this every day.

Adagio Teas: Kukicha

Rating: 5/5
Price: $7 per 4 oz. (I got it in a sampler of green tea, though)
Origin: Japan (no region given)
Form: Loose green tea (came in an adorable tin)

Review: Again, like most of these Adagio loose green teas, I get a wonderfully grassy, fresh, green scent right out of the tin. This one smells a little less like green veggies and more like 'tea,' though, once brewed. Very herbal tasting. Light, but not sweet. Not bitter either, though. Yummy. A little lighter than the Sencha tea; very good for every day.

Adagio Teas: Spiced Green

Rating: 5/5
Price: $6 per 4 oz. (I got it in a sampler of green tea, though)
Origin: China (with exotic spices)
Form: Loose green tea (came in an adorable tin)

Review: Strong spiced smell out of the tin. It smells like cloves and cardamom and oranges. Not so much of a tea scent, but very pleasant. When brewed (I left it in too long, oops!) I can smell the tea through the spiced scent. It tastes like tea, though, the spice is nearly all in the smell. I can catch a taste of cinnamon and cloves, but not enough to overpower the tea. It's quite pleasant, actually. I'd say that this is another everyday tea. I think it's a winter tea; the spiced scent makes me think of mulled wine. I'll have to try it iced, to see if it'd be yummy in the summer, too.

Frontier Teas: Organic Raspberry Green Tea

Rating: 3/5
Price: $45 per 1 lb. oz. (online), about $38 per lb at Wild Oats. I got about 1 oz. for $3.60.
Origin: Unknown
Form: Loose tea, flavoured with dried raspberries.

Review: I know that this tea was not one of my favorites. But I also said I'd try it iced, to see if it was better. And I did. It was much better that way. The delicate taste of the raspberry was much more suited to a cold tea than an iced one. I flavored it with raspberry honey, which it was really yummy. It was perfect for a warm evening, with a sandwich and a book.

However with my budget being what it is, since this tea isn't very good warm, I don't think I'll be buying any more of it. I just can't afford to buy any gourmet tea that isn't good hot or cold. Oh, well.

Frontier Teas: Organic White Peony Tea

Rating: 5/5 (omg, best tea evar!)
Price: $36 per 1 lb. oz. (online). I don't know how much at Wild Oats; I traded some of my Raspberry Tea to Eponine for this stuff.
Origin: Unknown
Form: Loose tea, flavoured with unopened peony buds.

Review: This smells like flowers and grass out of the tin, like springtime in a tea. Brewed up (although I think I brewed it a little weak; I'm trying to preserve my meager stash. I have about enough left for one more pot) it smells like grass after the rain. I wonder if my saying every tea I try smells 'wet' has something to do with the fact that it's a liquid. Maybe.

The flavor is very subtle, and delicate. Not something that I'd drink with a strongly flavored food. Something like plain sugar cookie, or maybe Scottish shortbread might be good. It tastes like flowers smell. I thin it'd be good iced, too, but I don't have enough to test that theory. I like it too much hot. I'd totally drink this every day. In fact, unlike the other Frontiers tea, I think I might get more of this stuff. It's like tea that faeries would drink.

PS: Eponine, wanna go in halfsies on a 1 lb bag of this crack tea?